Bookstore Romance
by xdreamxcatcherx
Summary: Chie and Aoi. A small romance involving one bookstore, one middle-aged woman, and a college kid. A simple story I hope everyone can enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Mai HIME.

The sky had been looking gray all week. People have begun carrying their umbrellas more often, there was no doubt spring was coming. And with spring was always a new hope for the future.

Chie Harada is a retired, 31 year old business woman. She was a brilliant student finishing high school in three years and getting a master's degree in four. She had come from a very poor family, so she understood she needed to work hard.

Chie was a very good child growing up, her parents had been in high school when they had here and they gave up their education in favor of raising her. More than anything, Chie wanted to repay them for taking care of her, like any child would. Sadly the day she got her first paycheck, her parents passed away in a horrible car accident.

She threw herself into work to bear with all the pain. At the height of her career, she had started her own company and made a small fortune. No doubt she would have made millions more had she continued her work, but she sold her company away in favor of leaving city.

Working tirelessly for the past decade had left Chie with a small fortune and if she had used the money wisely and not marry, she wouldn't need to work for the rest of her life. Being alone was already depressing, but to spend her days doing absolutely nothing, that Chie couldn't stand. So she took up work at a local bookstore spending all her time with her most favorite things in the world, books.

Her boss, Kikukara Yukino, had been happy to hire her. Too often her employees were local college students looking for a summer job. It would be a nice change to have a more permanent employee as she had said. Her employer was a 60 year old lady that had a passion for books and no family left, very much like herself. It didn't take a long time for the two to become very good friends despite the age difference.

Yukino-san had had a lover, Suzushiro Haruka, but she had died years ago. They had met in high school. Haruka was an orphan that had lost her parents earlier on. She was loud, brash, and stickler for rules. Yukino was from a middle-income family, expected to inherit their family business. The very bookstore she owned now. She had hated the bookstore when she was younger. She had felt that it was because of the bookstore her life had been all planed out for her and she had no say in what she had wanted to do. When the hot-headed Haruka had heard all this, she berated Yukino for taking everything in life for granted and she should be happy for what she had. Any other person would have hated Haruka from that moment on, but somehow Yukino fell in love with her. Their ending was happy.

And just a few days ago was Yukino's funeral. She had died happily in her sleep the week before. She had arranged for everything in her possession to be given the one Chie Harada along with a letter she had written.

_Dear Chie-san,_

_I know I may not have much time soon. I can feel in my very soul the afterlife calling for me. Do not be sad, I am an old woman and everyone will die one day. My dear Chie, you remind me so much of myself and my dear __Haruka-chan__. I leave everything in your possession, especially this bookstore that had brought me so much joy. I hope you can find this joy too. This store was able to help me find the love of __my life and I hope it will help you find that same love. __You cannot expect to be alone for the rest of your life. You have already spent a better part of your life alone. You know as much as I how sad solitude can be. Free yourself from the past and look to the future. _

_Your old friend,_

_Yukino_

Apparently Yukino not only had a sufficient amount of money, but a house too, three miles from the bookstore. It was a two story house with three bedrooms upstairs and a kitchen and living room downstairs. Chie quickly realized that this was a family house when she saw on room that obviously belonged to Haruka and Yukino and the master bedroom must have been Yukino's parents. That left one room she could use.

When she had just moved to the little town, she had purchased a flat. Now that she was the new owner of a new home, she rented out her flat and moved into the new home Yukino had left her. She left the two rooms as it was and moved into the spare bedroom. Once a week she would clean the old rooms, not bearing to let it waste away.

Often or not she found herself thinking back to the letter Yukino had left her. She herself wondered if the bookstore would really bring her someone to be with, but later in the day she would berate herself for thinking a bookstore would actually help her love life, or lack thereof.

So on this grayish week fate decided to step into her life and finally grant her little dream. All week the sky had looked like it was ready to pour and day after day everyone carried their umbrellas incase it did. On this gray afternoon, when Chie had gotten her new book orders, the sky let go of its tears. Chie had been in the storage room unpacking her new books when a young lady fresh in college had ran into the old bookstore to take cover from the rain.

She was surprised to see someone in her store when she wheeled some books out to shelf.

"Gomen nasai, it's raining outside and I forgot my umbrella at home," Senoh Aoi apologized when she saw the owner of the bookstore.

Chie nodded and went back into the storage room.

_How odd, if it had been a different store, the owner would have kicked me out by now __Aoi__ thought._

Chie came back out with a small towel and a cup of hot cocoa. The young lady had taken to watch the sky from the doorway, so she hadn't noticed Chie had come back out.

She tapped her on the shoulder, "Here, miss," she handed her the towel, "you don't want to catch a cold and this will keep you warm," she finished, offering her the cup of cocoa.

"A-Arigatou," she took the towel, blushing faintly.

Seeing that the woman had a violin case in her other hand, she gently led her to the back of the store, "There is a table in the back with the chairs. You can sit there with your things until the rain lets up."

"A-Arigatou," Aoi could only say, surprised a stranger would help her out so much. Chie turned slightly to smile gently at the blushing and stuttering girl. Aoi only flushed more. Chie looked out from one of the windows to check the weather.

"Ah, since you're here do you have any books you want to read? Don't worry you don't need to buy them, it's just… I'm afraid the rain isn't going to let up anytime soon and I would offer you something else to do, but there are only books here."

"Well, I don't read a lot. Would you have anything to recommend?"

Chie looked thoughtful for a moment, "Do you have any genres you want to read?"

"Ano, romance?"

"What kind of romance would you prefer?" she questioned some more.

"There are different kinds?" she asked with a genuine curiosity.

"No, but if you describe more about what kind of book you want to read, it would be easier for me to grab one that wouldn't bore you so easily."

"Well, I've always wanted to read an easy romance. One where the couple finds true love and there are no complications in between."

Chie smiled again, "I think I know just the book. Wait here a moment."

She returned a few minutes later with a book in hand and a plate of freshly baked cookies in the other. She handed her the book and placed the cookies on the table, "For when you get hungry," was the only explanation she offered.

"Arigatou," she said. Chie simply waved her hand in reply and went back to shelving the new books.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Mai HIME

It had been a few hours since Aoi entered the old bookstore. She had never been really interested at reading. Sure her English teachers had always urged her to read more, because she had such potential in English. But for some reason or another Aoi never really found a book she enjoyed nor did she have the energy to pursue such a subject the bored her so easily.

No, Aoi's talent has always lied in music. She had taken music lessons since she was a young girl. First it was the piano that her parents forced her to learn. She had always been a mediocre pianist, stopping at the intermediate level. It wasn't until junior high that she took up orchestra and fell in love with the violin.

She continued playing the violin throughout high school. Now she was in college pursuing a degree in music. She was going to take up a career as a musician and leave this small town she grew up in. Her dreams lay outside of this town and she was going to reach for it.

But now she found herself in an old bookstore with a book in hand and a steaming plate of cookies in front of her. She stared at the book for a few moments before cracking it open and making an attempt at reading it.

She didn't know that it was already nightfall. She didn't know that the rain has ceased. She didn't know that the gentle storeowner had taken the untouched cookies back. She didn't know that it was almost closing time. She didn't know anything, so absorbed as he was into the book.

When she finally finished and put down the book, she noticed it was already night. She noticed that the rain had stopped hours ago. She noticed it was way past the time stores usually closed at. And most importantly he noticed the slightly dozing storeowner she mat a few scant hours ago sitting on the chair across from her.

She got up from her seat and shook the storeowner from the shoulders, "Excuse me, ma'am."

Chie woke up with a groan, "Nani?"

"I'm so sorry for keeping you here. You should have told me when the rain had stopped," she bowed in apology.

"Ah, it's ok," Chie replied now that she seemed to have gotten her wits back, "It's just you looked completely entranced by the book and you almost done, so I thought you would want to finish it. I'm sorry if you had other things to do. I should have thought of that."

"I had nothing to do for the rest of the day. But thank you so much for your hospitality," again she bowed in thanks.

"It was nothing. Did you enjoy the book? It's not often I see people your age that enjoys reading."

"Hai, it was a very interesting story. I'm surprised I was so enraptured with it, I usually don't like any books."

Chie nodded, "Sometimes you just need to find the right story," she said wisely and then she brightened considerably, "come on, let's go now. I'll give you a ride home."

"Oh, it's ok, I can walk home from here," Aoi decline feebly, after all she didn't really know this woman.

"Nonsense it's the dead of night and you're a pretty girl that could be attacked by thugs on the way home," Chie said as she walked to the front of the store with the girl's violin case in hand.

Aoi blushed deeply. Sure she had heard indirectly about people giving compliments on how she looked, but never had anyone said it to her herself. It was nice to hear upfront rather than from a friend who heard from someone else.

"Arigatou," she found herself saying again as she couldn't refuse the offer now that her violin has been taken hostage. It wasn't long before she slipped into the front seat of a sensible Camry.

"So where do you live?" asked Chie as she started the car.

"12th Hime Street," she answered promptly.

The car screeched to a halt as Chie was backing up. She snapped her head to look at the college student, "Seriously?"

"Is there a problem with that?" she asked immediately defensive of her new home as her parents had disapproved of her moving out.

Chie chuckled a bit and laughed out loud, "No, no there's no problem. It's just that's the flat I rented out a couple of months ago. Small world, eh?" she laughed some more as she continued to back out of the parking lot.

"Really? You're that weird owner who contacts me by e-mail and has me paying through the bank," she said in wonder and then gasped in horror of the way she talked to someone who had helped her so sincerely for half the day.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized immediately, "I had no right to say that."

Again Chie merely waved her off nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I took no offence. I'll admit it is quite weird with the way I contact my renters, but I want my peace and isolation."

Aoi cocked her head at the word isolation. She had never heard anyone use that expression before and a part of her wanted to ask why, but she bit back her tongue when she saw the sadness in her eyes.

Things seemed to quiet down after that initial conversation. Tension was thick in the air from the way the conversation ended, yet neither of the women tried to make any more small talk.

It wasn't long before Chie reached her old home. She felt bad about bringing such a bad mood into the evening when she had been the one to insist on everything. She offered a sincere apologetic smile to the young woman as she left the car.

"I hope you have an enjoyable evening," she said.

"Hai, you too," Aoi replied, "Arigatou for everything today," she bowed.

"It was my pleasure," she said nodding at her, "Good night."

"Ah, good night," she bowed again.

It was only after she entered the flat did the car drive away. The very first thing she did was put away her beloved violin. As she entered the kitchen to get something for her stomach it suddenly hit her that she never did ask for the bookstore owner's name. She thought for a moment whose name was on that contract she signed when she decided to rent this flat. It was such a blurry memory as this had happened months ago, but she was known for her photographic memory.

_What was it? It started with an H, a Har-something. Ah, she remembered now, it was Harada Chie. What did she know about this woman? She was this flat's owner and the owner of a bookstore_. And now that Aoi thought clearly, she an air of sadness around her. _Hai, an air of sadness,_ Harada Chie she thought was a mystery and Aoi was obviously very intrigued by her.

As Chie drove away from the flat after she saw that the girl had safely entered, Chie was able to let go of the cheery façade she put on for the young woman. Truly she was quite sad about how lonely she was. But at the same time, she knew she could do nothing to change it as no one would want to spend their time with a thirty-something year old woman. There were plenty of people out there that were younger and surely more interesting than a retired old businesswoman.

But continually she played scene after scene of conversation with that young woman. After all that was the longest amount of communication she had with anyone since the death of Yukino-san. She really was too lonely she thought, but as replayed scene after scene again, it felt something was missing from these little conversations.

_Of course, she thought, she had never once thought to ask for her name, nor had she introduced herself. What was her name, she thought, as she was her renter, so she must have known her name at one point?_ She continued to ponder about it as she drove home. It was finally when she searched for the contract she had on her bookshelves did she finally uncover that her name was Senoh Aoi.

_Senoh Aoi, she thought, I doubt I'll ever see you again._


End file.
